Date: 8/31/26 5:25 pm From: Ryanne Bee via groups.io <ryanne.bee...> Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] Seawatch today at UCSB Campus Point
Hi all,
Jumping in on this from in between. The Black-venteds have put on a show
here at Hollister as well. 1000+ Saturday feeding less than 100m offshore
and continued Sunday with slightly less numbers. Possible Black Storm
Petrel very near shore but other than it's been mostly a shearwater show. I
was hoping we would get all the Jaegers chasing terns but I haven't been
able to catch any during my surveys. We had some heavy W-NW winds all
weekend that died off today so thinking that created some upwelling pushing
bait more nearshore. Might be interesting out there the next few weeks.
Best,
Ryanne
805.570.7424
On Mon, Aug 31, 2026 at 3:34 PM Daniel Farrar via groups.io <jdanielfarrar=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Hello Florence and All,
> Up in north county the Black-vented Shearwater action has been
> incredible. I've had hundreds if not thousands just about every morning
> I've tried for the last week. This AM at Wall Beach on base they were
> incredibly close to shore. They were just barely beyond the breakers with
> gulls and terns. Easily identifiable with binoculars.
>
> Yesterday north of Wall Beach there was a BLACK TERN working the kelp bed.
> I did not check for it today as I was working. I highly suggest trying a
> seawatch from the train tracks at Ocean Park if you can (but stay off the
> tracks!).
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S388423206 >
> Best,
> Daniel Farrar
>
> On Mon, Aug 31, 2026, 3:20 PM Florence Sanchez via groups.io
> <sanchezucsb11...> wrote:
>
>> Following Dave Compton's report yesterday, I decided to try my luck at a
>> seawatch after I'd spent some time walking COPR and UCSB Beaches this
>> morning. (A summary of what I've been seeing the past few days will follow
>> in another report.)
>>
>> It was a great morning weather-wise for the watch but the birds were not
>> moving today. Wind seemed to be coming out of the southeast and most of
>> the birds I saw (including local birds) were flying west, but the seabirds
>> were just not moving. I saw no Shearwaters during the approximately 1 hour
>> I watched. I did pick up a Black Storm Petrel in surprisingly close to
>> shore. I believe it could even have been seen in binoculars. Sometime
>> later, I picked up a juvenile Jaeger flying west. I believe it was a
>> Parasitic, though I wish I'd picked it up in the scope a little sooner when
>> I could have assessed the size and depth of the chest better. However,
>> Parasitic would be the expected Jaeger this close to shore.
>>
>> Apart from that, there was just no seabird activity so I gave it up after
>> an hour.
>>
>> Florence Sanchez
>>
>>
>>
>
> Daniel Farrar
> Lompoc, CA
> <jdanielfarrar...>
>
>
>
